MALOLOS CITY—Concessionaires of this city’s water district are now restive due to insufficient supply of water since Friday, April 26.
As this developed, Mayor Christian Natividad announced that he will ask the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to help address the water shortage through rationing, while officials of the Malolos City Water District (MCWD) rush to repair damaged water pumps.
Romy Ramos, a resident of Barangay Bagna, said they hardly have water flowing from their faucets since Friday.
He added that the water shortage in their village has aggravated the already hot weather brought by summer:
“Sa init ng panahon dapat maligo pero hindi ka makapaligo dahil kulang sa tubig.”
The same was echoed by Alvin Estrella, a construction worker and father of two.
“Madalas na wala,,pag nagkaroon naman ng tulo malakas pa ang ihi ng bata,” lamented Estrella.
However, they are not the only ones who are suffering from water shortage.
Francisco Almazar, acting head of water production of the MCWD estimated that around 20,000 families in the city are in the same situation.
This, due to a damaged water pump in their pumping station located at Barangay Matimbo which supplies water to the said village and adjoining barangays of Bagna, Panasahan, and Mambog.
Almazar said that their 15-horsepower water pump conked out on Friday and they replaced it with a 10-horsepower pump which also broke down.
“Within the week, tiyak na okey na yan,” said Almazar.
However, local concessionaires said MCWD must secure potable water service the soonest.
Responding to the situation, Mayor Natividad announced plans to ration water in affected villages.
He said that they are now coordinating with BFP to utilize available firetrucks and deliver water.
“Kailangan magrasyon muna kami, habang hinihintay ang repair ng water pumps,” Natividad said.
Meanwhile, residents of Barangay Sumapang Matanda, and concessionaires from Barangay Sto. Nino and Sto. Rosario in nearby Paombong town also complained of water shortage.
The said villages are located on the eastern side of the town and are being supplied with water by the MCWD.
At around this time last year, residents of San Pablo and other villages in this city complained of weak water pressure or no water supply.
Back then, Boy Reyes, the general manager of the MCWD said that weak water pressure is due to increasing summer heat and lack of rain.
He said that the confluence of said factors aggravated by increase utilization of water led to the depletion of ground water in the city.
He said that one of the solutions is the Bulacan Bulk Water Supply project which will draw surface water from the Angat Dam.
The said project was proposed decades ago,but last year, the provincial government of Bulacan and the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage Systems (MWSS) signed a memorandum of understanding in Malacanang for the implementation of the project.
Sources said that there are investors who expressed interest on the said project, but beyond that, none has been heard about the proposed project.
